Nailing table



Feb. 16, 1965 J. c. MEHAFFY NAILING TABLE Filed May 17. 1962 6.53K im r Ila( f FIG.

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FIG.

INVENTOR JOSEPH C. MEHAFFY Mid@ ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,169,759 NAILING TABLE Il'oseph C. Mehatiy, 201 Smith, Kirkwood, Mo. Filed May 17, 1962, Ser. No. 195,618 2 Claims. (Cl. 269-25) This invention relates to an assembly table for doors and door jambs. It is common practice for contractors Who are building houses and such'buildings, to order a given number of doors and their associated jambs assembled together for ease of tting. The practice is to lit the door with hinges and attach these to one jamb and to apply another jamb and the head for the door and two jambs. The four pieces are then nailed together and shipped as one package to the site of the building.

The principal ditlculty is such assemblies will vary in width requirements from one job to the next and even for a set of doors in one order. Thus a contractor may order a half dozen doors which are three feet wide and a half dozen which are two and one-half feet wide. To obtain any kind of production eliciency on such an order is to lower the costs significantly, yet the very nature of the order makes this ditiicult.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a nailing or assembly table which will accommodate doors in any width from one foot to three feet.

Another object of my invention is to provide a nailing table which can be automatically adjusted to accommodate doors of various sizes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple eicient construction for a nailing table which will facilitate the assembly of door and door jamb packages and make it possible for this work to be done by relatively unskilled labor at relatively low unit costs.

The above and other objects of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains from a study of the speciication and the drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of my nailing table in an extended position;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the table in the extended position; and

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the table in the collapsed or compressed position with a door and i-ts associated jambs on the table.

In the figures, numeral 1 is given to the fixed side or" the table and 2 is the movable side. It will be seen that 1 forms at the top and bottom of FIGURES 2 and 1, a sleeve in which is slidable the extensions 3 and 4. As the movable side 2 is rolled on the castors 5 and 6, on the legs 7 and 3 respectively, the extensions 3 and 4 slide in the sleeves formed in the xed side 1.

The extension and contraction of rthe table is accomplished by the use of two powered pistons and their cooperative cylinders. The pistons are numbered 9 and 10 whereas the cylinders are numbered 11 and 12 respectively. The cylinders are provided with the two sets of lines each, 13 and 14 for cylinder 11, and 15 and 16 for cylinder 12. Each pair of lines goes to a metering valve, 17 and 1S respectively. The metering valves are connected to a source of hydraulic or pneumatic power, not shown.

By turning the valves to open lines 13 and 15, the table can be made to contract. By turning the valves to close those lines and open lines 14 and 16 to the power or pressure source, the table can be made to extend.

To insure the even movement of the top end the bottom of the table upon opening and closing, I provide the expansion arms which lie between the two power cylinders. The upper arm consists of the members 19 and 20,

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each of which is hinged to the one side of the table and which are hinged together, by the hinges 21, 22 and 23.

The lower arm consists of the members 24 and 25. They are hinged to the sides of the table by the hinges 26 and 27, and hinged together by the hinge 28.

The upper and lower arms act as stabilizers to promote uniform planar movement of the sides of the table, when those sides are moved together or away from each other. They prevent cocking of the sides, or in other words, departure from an even horizontal plane. Furthermore, they provide a limit to the width extension of the table. Otherwise the pistons could be pushed out of the cylinders and the extensions 3 and 4 out of their cooperative sleeves by the application of too much pressure to the cylinders 11 and 12.

On the top of the table I have mounted a pair of left limiting blocks 29 and 30. On the right side I have mounted in similar xed positions the right limiting blocks 31, 32..

Likewise on the top of the table, and at the top FIG. 2 I have mounted in lixed positions the upper limiting blocks 33, 34. Similarly on the top of the table, but at the bottom of FIG. 2 I show the small pistons and cylinders 35, 36 and 37, 3S respectively.

The cylinders 37, 38 are mounted in fixed positions on the top of the table and they are provided with metering valves 39 and 40 respectively, which are connected to a source of power not shown. In FIGURE 2, the pistons 35, 36 are shown in their contracted positions.

In operation, for a given size of door 41, the door is measured and the table is contracted from the position of FIGURE 2 to approximately the size required, that is, the table is contracted to a size which is a little bit larger than the size of the door and its associated jams and at that point it has been contracted to about the position of FIGURE 3.

The door 41, together with its hinges 42 and 43, to which it is attached and the attached jamb 44 is laid on the top of the table in the position shown, which is defined. in the following way. The hinged door and jamb are folded together in the closed position and the hinged attached jamb 44 is laid against the left limiting blocks 23 and 30.

The head 45 of the door opening is then laid in position. It is placed snugly against the upper limiting blocks 33 and 34, just above the door 41 and its attached jamb 44. Thus the head lies between the door 41 and the upper limiting blocks 33 and 34.

Next the other or outer jamb 46 is placed on the other side of the door. It is iitted snugly against the right limiting blocks 31 and 32. Thus it lies between the door 41 and the right limiting blocks 31 and 32.

The next step is to bring the door and its associated jambs, the attached jamb 44 and the outer jamb 46 under pressure to bear tightly and snugly against the head.

This object is accomplished by opening the metering valves 39 and 40. The hydraulic or pneumatic pressure from the source not shown will fill the cylinders 37 and 38. This increase of pressure in the small cylinders 37 and 33 will cause the pistons 35 and 36 to move to the positions of FIGURE 3 which are shown as 35' and 36, since they are extended positions. They, that is the pistons continue past these positions and extend further until the door 41 and the jambs are pressed tightly and properly against the head 45. They are held by the hydraulic or pneumatic pressure against the head 45 which is in turn constrained against further movement by the upper limiting blocks 33 and 34.

Next the metering Valves 17 and 13 are opened further so that there is further pressure in the lines 13 and 15. The increase of pressure in these lines causes the sides Y l n er c of the table to contract more and the expansion arms assume more the positions of FIGURE 3, In this position the upper arm members are shown as 19 and Ztl', whereas the lower arm members are shown as 24? and 25.

The result .of this action isto further squeeze the door lfand the jambs 44 and i6 together between the Yleft limiting blocks k29 `and 3), and Vthe right limitingblocks Vmalte thel package stable.

It will be recognized that what was formerly a very dicult job, that is to hold four loose Vpieces together and nail them together in the proper relationship, has become a very simple matter.

To release the package of the door, the jambs and the head from the table, the following procedure is used: First I open the metering valves 39 and t? lto' atmospheric pressure, that is, disconnect the power source. This relaxes the cylinders and allows the pistons 3S and 36 to be loosened from their positions 35 andd. Next I turn the metering valves 17 and 18 so as to apply a little power in the other pair of lines 14 and l. This causes the table to open a little bit, I do not open the table all tile way unless I want to accommodate a much larger door for the next nailing job.

Opening the table a little, takes the pressure od the sides for it expands the distance between the left limiting blocks 29 and 3@ and the right limiting blocks 31 and 32. Actually, of course, (the door nailing table can be opened to the limit position shown in FIG. 2, where the full extension of the arms is shown.

At this point the package consisting of the door 41, the jambs 44 and d6 and the head t5 may be lifted out as one piece. These parts have all been nailed together firmly and they may be transported to a pile on which they may be stacked, for further transportation to the job where theywill be installed as one piece in the building. At the job the nails will be taken out, after installation, in the customary manner.

Although the invention has been described by making detailed references to a single preferred embodiment, such detail is to be understood in an instructive, rather than in any restrictive sense, many variations, modiiications and changes being possible without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

What Iv claim is:

l. In a nailing table having a fixed side and a movable side and a top formed thereof, a pairot pistonsiand cylinders mounted Vupon said sides therebetween, a pairgot expansionarrns hinged to said 'sides and mounted therebetween, each expansion arm consisting ofV two members hinged together, a metering valve associated with each cylinder and a pair of lines connecting each metering valve to its associated lcylinder to enable the piston in each cylinder to be driven reciprocably in and out of its cylinder to flex saidexpansion arms andrmove the movable side of said table toward and away from the fixed side thereof, a set of limiting blocks on the top of said table, consisting of a pair of right limiting blocks, a pair of lett limiting blocks and a pair of upper limiting blocks, the right and left limiting blocks being mounted onopposite sides Vof the Vtable and the upper limiting blocks pair being mounted one on the fixed side and one on the movable side, and a pair of smaller pistons and cylinders mounted opposite said upper limiting blocks to cooperate therewith. l

2. In a nailing table having a Xed side and a movable side and a top having an upper end and a lower end, a pair of pistons and cylinders mounted upon said sides and between said sides, a pair of expansion arms hinged to said sides and mounted therebetween to limit relative motion of said sides to planar motion, each expansion arm consisting of two members hinwed together, and each member hinged to one side of the table, a Vmetering valve associated with each cylinder .and a pair of lines connecting each metering valve to its associated cylinder to enable the piston in its cooperative cylinder to fieX said expansion arms and move the movable side of said table toward and away from the xed side thereof, a set of limiting blocks on'the top of said table, consisting of a pair of left limiting blocks on one side of the tabl a pair of right limiting blocks on the other side of the table, a pair-or" upper limiting blocks on opposite sides of the Vtable at the upper end, a pair of smaller pistons and cylinders mounted on the lower end of said table opposite said upper limiting blocks, and al source of power for all of said pistons and cylinders.

ReierencesrCited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,015,348 Y 1/62 zem V 269-42 Y FOREIGN PATENTS 1,195,931 s/59 France.

407,641 Y 3/34 Great Britain.

Y ROBERT C. Rione-ON, Primm Examiner. THOMAS J. Hicrcnnnxamfnef. 

1. IN A NAILING TABLE HAVING A FIXED SIDE AND A MOVABLE SIDE AND A TOP FORMED THEREOF, A PAIR OF PISTONS AND CYLINDERS MOUNTED UPON SAID SIDES THEREBETWEEN, A PAIR OF EXPANSION ARMS HINGED TO SAID SIDES AND MOUNTED THEREBETWEEN, EACH EXPANSION ARM CONSISTING OF TWO MEMBERS HINGED TOGETHER, A METERING VALVE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH CYLINDER AND A PAIR OF LINES CONNECING EACH METERING VALVE TO ITS ASSOCIATED CYLINDER TO ENABLE THE PISTON IN EACH CYLINDER TO BE DRIVEN RECIPROCABY IN AND OUT OF ITS CYLINDER TO FLEX SAID EXPANSION ARMS AND MOVE THE MOVABLE SIDE OF SAID TABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE FIXED SIDE THEREOF, A SET OF LIMITING BLOCKS ON THE TOP OF SAID TABLE, CONSISTING OF A PAIR OF RIGHT LIMITING BLOCKS, A PAIR OF LEFT LIMITING BLOCKS AND A PAIR OF UPPER LIMITING BLOCKS, THE RIGHT AND LEFT LIMITING BLOCKS BEING MOUNTED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE TABLE AND THE UPPER LIMITING BLOCKS PAIR BEING MOUNTED ONE ON THE FIXED SIDE AND ONE ON THE MOVABLE SIDE, AND A PAIR OF SMALLER PISTONS AND CYLINDERS THEREWITH. 